Checked against official sources in November 2026. Rules change, so follow the links before you act.
Raffles, tombolas and 100 clubs are the bread and butter of club fundraising. They're also legally lotteries, which means they come under the Gambling Act 2005 and the Gambling Commission's rules. The good news is that most club raffles are easy to run legally once you know which type you're running.
The type depends mainly on where and to whom you sell tickets. A raffle at your fun day is treated very differently from a weekly club lottery sold online. This guide explains the three types clubs use most, with the limits the Gambling Commission sets.
The three lottery types clubs use
Here's a side-by-side summary. The detail for each follows below.
| Incidental lottery | Private society lottery | Small society lottery | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical example | Raffle or tombola at a fun day, fair or dinner | Members' draw run inside the club | Club lottery or 100 club sold to the public |
| Registration | None | None | Register with your council: £40, then £20 a year |
| Who can buy | Anyone at the event | Members, or non-members at the club's own premises | The public, aged 16 and over |
| Where and how sold | Physical tickets, only at the event while it's on | Physical tickets, not online | Door to door, online, by phone or face to face, but not in the street |
| Money limits | Up to £100 expenses and £500 bought prizes from proceeds. No limit on donated prizes | Prizes and reasonable running costs from proceeds | Up to £20,000 sales per lottery and £250,000 a year. Top prize no more than £25,000. At least 20% to the club |
| Rollovers | Not allowed | Not allowed | Only to another lottery by the same society, within the £25,000 prize limit |
Figures from the Gambling Commission's pages on lotteries at events, lotteries with people you're in a club with and small society lotteries, checked November 2026.
Raffles and tombolas at events: incidental lotteries
A raffle, tombola or sweepstake held as part of a one-off event such as a fete, fair or fundraising dinner is an incidental lottery. You don't need a Gambling Commission licence or council registration, according to the Gambling Commission. Two conditions matter: the proceeds must go to a good cause, not private gain, and the lottery must not be the main reason for the event. A raffle at your presentation night is fine. An 'event' that is really just a raffle is not.
From the proceeds you can take no more than £100 for running expenses, such as printing tickets or hiring equipment, and no more than £500 for buying prizes. There's no limit on the value of donated prizes, so ask local businesses for donations rather than buying.
Tickets must be physical and sold only at the event while it's happening. You can't sell them in advance or online, including on social media. Cloakroom tickets are fine as long as you can identify the winning tickets. There's no cap on ticket price and multi-buy deals are allowed. The draw can happen during or after the event, but prizes can't roll over to another lottery.
The Gambling Commission says you can sell incidental lottery tickets to anyone at the event, including children. This applies to incidental lotteries only.
Members' draws: private society lotteries
A private society lottery is run for people in your club. Tickets can be sold only to members, or to non-members at the club's own premises such as the clubhouse. Tickets must be physical, all the same price and non-transferable, and can't be sold online. The draw must take place at your premises, not online. The person running it must be a member and have the club's permission. Prizes and reasonable running costs can come out of the proceeds, and prizes can't roll over. See the Gambling Commission's club lottery page.
The Gambling Commission's page on private society lotteries doesn't set an age limit. Its guidance to licensing authorities gives 16 as the minimum age for taking part in a lottery, so the cautious approach is not to sell to under-16s. If you plan to involve juniors, check with the Gambling Commission first.
Club lotteries and 100 clubs: small society lotteries
If you want to sell to the public, door to door or online, for example a monthly 100 club open to parents, grandparents and neighbours, you'll usually be running a small society lottery. You must register with your local licensing authority, which is normally your district or borough council. Registration costs £40 and annual renewal £20, according to the Gambling Commission. You don't need a Gambling Commission licence while you stay within the limits.
The limits are £20,000 of ticket sales in a single lottery, £250,000 in a calendar year, and no single prize worth more than £25,000, even if donated. At least 20% of proceeds must go to the club's purposes, so prizes and expenses together can take up to 80%.
Every ticket must be the same price and show the club's name, the ticket price, the promoter's name and address and the draw date. If you use an External Lottery Manager, its name goes on the ticket instead of the promoter's. You can't sell tickets in the street, including passages through shopping centres. You must send the council details of each lottery within three months of the draw.
Tickets can be sold to people aged 16 and over. The pages we checked don't give a separate minimum age for selling tickets, so if you want juniors to help sell, ask your council or the Gambling Commission first.
Foul play: mistakes to avoid
- Selling fun day raffle tickets on Facebook or in the weeks before. Incidental lottery tickets can only be sold at the event.
- Spending more than £500 of proceeds on prizes for an event raffle. Ask for donated prizes instead.
- Running a regular public 100 club without registering it with your council.
- Forgetting to send the council the return within three months of each small society draw.
- Rolling over an unclaimed prize from an event raffle to the next one.
- Letting the raffle become the main point of the event.
- Offering prizes that aren't suitable for the people buying tickets. Common sense applies: think twice about alcohol prizes when children can buy tickets.
Good practice for a smooth draw
Write the rules on a sign or the back of the ticket: price, draw time, how winners will be contacted. Make the draw in public, with someone independent pulling the tickets. Record winners and keep a note of takings, prizes and expenses, so the treasurer can show the money went where it should.
Remember that raffle tickets are a payment for a chance to win, not a donation, so Gift Aid can't be claimed on them. See our CASC and Gift Aid guide.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. It is based on official guidance checked in November 2026. If you're unsure, ask the Gambling Commission or your council's licensing team.
Committee questions
Is a tombola legal at a school or club fete?
Yes. The Gambling Commission lists tombolas as an example of an incidental lottery, so the same rules as an event raffle apply. See its events guidance.
Can children buy raffle tickets?
At an incidental lottery held at an event, yes, according to the Gambling Commission. For small society lotteries the minimum age is 16.
Do we need a licence for our 100 club?
If it's open to the public, you'll usually need to register it with your council as a small society lottery. If it's sold only to members as a private society lottery, no registration is needed, but strict sales rules apply.
Sources
- Gambling Commission: How to run a fundraiser with lotteries or raffles at events
- Gambling Commission: How to run a lottery or fundraiser (print version)
- Gambling Commission: How to run a lottery with people you're in a club with
- Gambling Commission: Licences for small society lotteries
- Gambling Commission: Guidance to licensing authorities Part 34
- GOV.UK: Claiming Gift Aid - what you can claim it on
